Toothpick-holder.



No.'647 ,'l87. Patented Apr. In, 1900.,

' H. E. KNAPP.

TODTHPIGK Homes.

(Application med Aug. 21, 1899.)

(No Model.)

TATES HAROLD EVERARD KNAPP, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TOOTH PICK-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 647,187, dated April 10, 1900. Application filed August '21, 1899. strain). 727,915. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD EVERARD KNAPP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toothpick-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in toothpick-holders, and has for its primary object the provision of an individual toothpick-holder containing one or more toothpicks, whereby the handling of the tooth picks in placing them in'a receptacle for use is avoided and the previous antiseptic treatment of the toothpicks is rendered possible and efficient, while the liability to contagion resulting from the handling orprevious use of the toothpicks is effectually prevented. These and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a toothpick-holder embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows the manner of removing the toothpicks from the holder. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the holder, and Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

At the present time the common and customary practice is to place the toothpicks exposed in a suitable receptacle where they are liable to be handled, picked over, and contaminated by any one having access to the holder, and even antiseptic treatment of the toothpicks would not avail against possible contagion under these circumstances. It is my purpose to provide individual holders for the toothpicks, so that one or more toothpicks may be placed in the holder and a number of holders placed in a suitable receptacle, so that each user may select a holder and secure his toothpicks with the assurance that they have not been previously handled, except, of course, in packing, where proper and antiseptic treatment should be availed of.

Referring now by letter to the accompanying drawings, A indicates a tube, which is preferably a portion of a straw out to a suitable length, although a paper tube or any other material forming a destructible recep tacle may be employed. Into this tube is inserted one or more toot-hpicks B, which may or may not have been treated antiseptically, and then the ends of the tube are closed by sealing wax or wafers 0 or by any other cheap and practical means that would readily suggest itself to one skilled in the arts. These tubes when thus used protect the inclosed toothpicks, as against handling, and constitute individual holders for the toothpicks, which cannot be removed from the tube without the destruction thereof. This may be easily accomplished bytaking the ends of the tube between the fingers of the hands, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and twisting the tube, which thereby becomes destroyed, thus assuring each user a clean and unhandled toothpick.

The advantages of my individual holder from a sanitary standpoint are obvious, and the cost of isolating the toothpicks in the individual holders is small as compared with the benefits arising therefrom.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isg 1. As a new article of manufacture, an individual toothpick-holder consisting of a destructible tube sealed at its ends and containing one or more toothpicks, substantially as described.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an individual toothpick-holder consisting of a tube of straw sealed at its ends with wax or Wafers and containing one or more toothpicks, sub- O. L. Woon, O. R. BARNETT. 

